


Belle of the Ball

by cablesscutie



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Bitty is just so darn southern, Halloween, M/M, live link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 00:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9265982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cablesscutie/pseuds/cablesscutie
Summary: Halloween 2016: Year of the Hoop Skirt





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was the perfect prompt to get in my askbox right in time for Halloween, thanks! As a special holiday treat, I actually made the Buzzfeed quiz mentioned in this - the bolded title is a live link!

The Falconers’ annual Halloween party was apparently notorious for great costumes, hilarious pranks, and being a thorn in Georgia Martin’s side. Since his joining the team two years ago, Jack had yet to attend, always opting out of the wild times of both Snow’s party and the Halloweekend Kegster. It was his studious avoidance of that sort of debauchery that cemented him as George’s favorite of all the players.

Which was why Jack was so anxious at their weekly lunch date when he cleared his throat and said, “So, Tater sent out the evite for Halloween last night.”

“Mm,” she hummed. “I saw. The PR team is assembling the bunker already.” Jack fiddled with the straw in his drink.

“I think I’m going to go this year.” Georgia’s fork clattered against her plate.”

“Jack. No.” She looked at him with wide eyes, and he winced, hating to let her down. “Come onnnn,” she whined. “Don’t do this to me, you’re supposed to be the reasonable one on this team.”

“I’m sorry, Eric really wants to go.” She put her head in her hands.

“Oh God. Do I dare ask what the costume is?” George still has war flashbacks to Jack and Bitty’s coming out. When Bitty’s tweets from Halloween 2015 were dug up and it was put together that he was dressed as a puck bunny, there was a minor media trash fire. And by minor, he means the picture was discussed on Sports Center and Buzzfeed published an article (No $#!@ Sherlock: How Hockey Tumblr Was Years Ahead of All of Us) and an accompanying quiz ([ **What Part of Eric Bittle’s Bunny Costume Are You?**](https://www.buzzfeed.com/latticeontop/what-part-of-eric-bittles-bunny-costume-are-you-2ny2v)) (Jack took it out of morbid curiosity. He got “floppy ears”). Jack cleared his throat and pushed his asparagus around his plate.

“He’s going as Scarlett O’Hara.” George sighed, shaking her head.

“Buzzfeed’s going to make another quiz.”

“I wonder what I’ll get this time.”

* * *

 

When Eric asks his mother, “How much do you know about dressmaking?” she chokes a little on her tea in surprise.

“I - Well, I suppose a bit. I mean, I can follow a pattern. Why do you ask?” He explained his plans for Halloween and Mama laughed, reaching for the house phone even as she tried to tamp down on her giggles. “Oh, Dicky, that’s gonna be _good_. I’m gonna need pictures for the fridge. And you oughtta’ talk to your Moomaw, she knows how to make a pattern.”

“Thank you, Mama,” he said, cheeks hurting from the force of his smile. He watched his mother call his grandmother and put her on speakerphone, prompting Eric to explain his idea all over again. By the time they all hung up, Eric was instructed to email his measurements to Mama, who would give them to Moomaw at church and Moomaw would send him a pattern in the mail.

* * *

 

The Falcs absolutely lost their shit. Walking into the party, Bitty squeezed Jack’s hand and breathed through the initial nerves. These are all their friends, he reminded himself. They’ve been nothing but warm and friendly to them, and it’s a funny costume. A _damn good costume_ too, Moomaw’s pattern worked perfectly, and the bodice manages to not look strange on Bitty’s flat, masculine torso.

As soon as they step past the foyer, the reaction is almost instantaneous. Conversations fade as one by one all the guests notice them, taking in Eric in his gown and wig, Jack fidgeting beside him, his own costume little more than an old suit and the beginnings of a moustache. As quickly as the noise fades, it comes back doubled as everyone starts tripping over themselves trying to chirp Jack and Eric.

“Happy Halloween, Zimmboni!” Tater enthused, clapping them both on the back. “And Itty Bitty! Wonderful costume. We do not have your sheep, but we do have pumpkin spice beer!” Eric laughed so hard he felt tears at the corners of his eyes. He thought he was going to rupture something when Jack started trying to explain to Tater that they were characters from a piece of iconic American literature.

When they found themselves finally left alone at the buffet table, Jack, dressed beside him as Rhett Butler, told Bitty “You do look great. I can’t believe how much effort you put into this costume.”

“Well,” Eric had sniffed, “That’s just because you never put effort into your costumes.”

“I was Captain America one year! That was funny!”

“It was still from Target. And I _committ_ to my costumes.”

“I know, I remember the wigs. And I tried this year!”

“You wanna talk effort? Which one of us is wearing a hoop skirt all night?” Jack stayed quiet. “That’s what I thought.”

“Should I go get you some punch, Ms. O’Hara?” Eric twirled the parasol he had perched on his shoulder and batted his eyelashes at Jack.

“Oh would you, darlin? I’m a tad parched,” Eric told him, playing up his accent. Jack sounded positively ridiculous when he tried to immitate him.

“It would be my pleasure, sugar.” Eric found himself very glad Moomaw had talked him out of wearing a real corset

**Author's Note:**

> The ask box is open for prompts at imaginezimbits.tumblr.com/ask or come visit me on my main as latticeontop!


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